When I started working at Novo Solutions, I had no idea how much research I would do. I wanted to get to know the industries using Asset Management and CMMS Software better. In other words, I went down the rabbit hole to gain insight into your needs and problems.
Why does it matter?
Oh, it matters because I gained much more than insight during my self-imposed education. I stumbled onto so many helpful sites, publications, and freebies.
There’s a catch, wait for it.
Pay it Forward -please call Novo Solutions for your Asset Management and CMMS Software needs and Share it with your friends because…Knowledge is like money: to be of VALUE it must CIRCULATE to increase the value! (paraphrase-Louis L’ Amour)
Here’s the best part.
Finally, after collecting this list for nearly a year, please accept this resource as a thank you to all the professionals tasked with maintaining, operating, and managing your organization, all while staying organized and compliant.
Associations, Organizations, & Sites:
“A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.” -Will Rogers (haha, so true)
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- Reliability Web it’s free to join this group of asset management professionals hoping to change the world with economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social responsibility. They have maintenance forums, Uptime Magazine, and information in the form of articles, news, tips, and video.
- The IFMA or International Facility Management Association is the largest facility management association that offers credentialing programs and produces World Workplace, a series of conferences. They conduct research, produce publications, and maintain a robust knowledge library.
- The Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals is the place to go if you want to expand your knowledge and skills to improve asset management.
- APICS The Association for Operations Management encourages supply chain management with knowledge, research, and methods.
- Association for Manufacturing Excellence is dedicated to the improvement and offers events, training, networking, and publications.
- Association for Manufacturing Technology promoting advocacy, workforce development, insight, research, and much more.
- Industry Week is a premier resource for manufacturers for any and all manufacturing information, events, and so much more.
- National Association of Manufacturers the largest manufacturing association in the US and the Shopfloor Blog is an awesome resource for manufacturing advocacy.
- MESA International a worldwide community of manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, analysts, and students purpose is to improve business and production through implementing information technology and best maintenance management practices.
- The Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE) this professional organization brings together real estate, commercial and industrial plants, higher education, medical centers, and government facilities around the world as the leading technical and certification resource for facilities.
- International Society of Automation setting the standard for professionals who use engineering and technology to improve the management, safety, and security of automation and control systems. They have the training, certifications, events, news, resources, professional development, and more, the resource page allows you to find ISA products by job function.
- Alliance for American Manufacturing hoping to strengthen American manufacturing and create new private-sector jobs with innovative public policies. Achieving this through research, educations, advocacy, communication, and coalition building. They also have an amazing blog.
(continuation of the original post: The Top 33+ Most Helpful Manufacturing Publications)
Publications & Have-it-All Websites
“In a magazine, one can get from cover to cover -15 to 20 different ideas about life and how to live it.” -Maya Angelou (the point? read !!)
- Quick Manufacturing News top news features daily with a short description, keeping you in the loop.
- Plant Services has 10 newsletters featuring Asset Management, Course Connection, Off the Clock, Smart Minute, Special Alerts, Surveys, Bulletins, Video Showcase, Webcast Alerts, White Papers, and Digital Solutions.
- Free Trade Magazines has a library (over 50 in one category) that can be researched by category.
- Fluke Newsletter helps solve problems and keep facilities running smoothly for electricians, engineers, and plant maintenance management technicians.
- Maintenance Technology Magazine & Newsletter helps plant maintenance management teams that are responsible for the physical assets.
- Engineering 360’s Publication covers industry trends, equipment, events, and anything related to plants and facilities.
- Electrical Construction & Maintenance offers subscriptions to 9 newsletters with topics on electrical code, research, developments, installation, quality, delivery, stability, continuing education, product offerings, practical maintenance management, green initiatives, tips, and training.
- Resource Engineering & Maintenance is a Canadian reliability magazine that is an asset management resource for industrial engineers, maintenance professionals, plant operations.
- FM Industry Magazine is full of news and information for real estate and facilities management professionals.
- Facilities Manager Magazine shares the experiences and views of professionals through research, solutions, strategies, and best practices to transform managerial jobs.
- Facilities.Net has 2 manufacturing publications -Facility Maintenance Decisions and Building Operating Management that both offer insightful ideas on managing buildings and facilities.
- Buildings Magazine has tons of helpful information for facility managers and building owners.
- Plant Services Magazine has up-to-date information for maintenance, reliability, asset management, and manufacturing.
- Plant Engineering offers a magazine subscription, content channels, training, tools, news, blogs, events, and newsletters. It is a one-stop-shop that you don’t want to miss.
- Building Services Management Magazine is chock full of solutions for today’s maintenance management and asset management professionals.
- Fleet Equipment Magazine covers asset management, industry trends, and issues that encourage the most cost-effective operations.
- Industrial Machinery Digest is a compiled archive of IMD’s monthly publication that serves jobs shops, machine shops, contract, and production line manufacturing. The best part is that they tag and archive each issue in this digest for easy searching!
- Industry Supply Magazine is the voice of industry distribution providing relevant, valuable information
on high-impact decisions. - CED Magazine it’s informative with in-depth research and reporting for equipment distributors and rental operations.
- Alliance for American Manufacturing is determined to create jobs through research, education, communication, and advocacy. The articles are easily accessible and categorized by Jobs, American Security, Tax Reform, Buy America, Innovation, Trade, Workforce, and Infrastructure. Welcome to America!
- Manufacturing News is a metalworking manufacturing news publication. Check out upcoming tradeshows, or links. You are likely to find whatever you are looking for.
- Industry Week has 9 publications -Daily Headlines, Weekly Hotlist, Continuous Improvement, Workforce Watch, 3D Printing, Supply Chain Insights, Leadership Insights, Manufacturing Technology, and Quick Manufacturing News.
- Manufacturing Today has digital, print, and a bonus content edition that are full of best practices for industry leaders.
- The Manufacturer covers all sectors with thought leadership, regulatory updates, and best practices.
- Automation World has 16 newsletters and an enormous amount of information on nearly every topic including news, insights, products, processing, automation and much more.
- Assembly Magazine covers processes, strategies, technology, and more.
- Modern Materials Handling has a wealth of information on productivity, materials, distribution, warehousing, and manufacturing.
- Reliable Plant has 4 subscriptions to Machinery Lubrication Magazine, Lube Tips, Reliable Plant Mail, and Machinery Lubrication Newsletters for useful information related to advanced machine reliability and maintenance technologies.
- Advanced Manufacturing offers 4 subscriptions or downloads from iTunes – Manufacturing Engineering Magazine (a broad collection of technologies for engineering professionals), Smart Manufacturing Magazine (focuses on advanced technologies for integrating information), Advanced Manufacturing Now, and Tooling & Workholding for Today’s Shop Floor are insightful weekly and monthly newsletters.
- Logistics Management — is a leading free publication for logistics and supply chain professionals.
- Workforce Magazine —information on the hot topics such as benefits, recruitment, staffing, training, and workplace culture.
- Manufacturing.Net has 2 newsletters that offer manufacturing news and insight.
- Manufacturing Business Technology for technology manufacturing executives.
- IMPO (Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation) is an awesome resource for relevant news.
- Training Magazine believes training and workforce development is a business tool. They delve into management, HR, and training issues and much more.
Blogs to Subscribe:
“Often, we are too slow to recognize how much and in what ways we can assist each other through sharing such expertise and knowledge.” -Owen Arthur (hands down, I love folks that share)
- Maintenance World is a blog and article source for reliability and maintenance management professionals.
- Manufacturing Law Blog keeps up to date with legal news and discussions facing manufacturers today.
- Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation you can search for blogs by relevant topics, post type, and even by region.
- Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center is a very smart, informative, and regularly updated manufacturing blog.
- Manufacturing Innovation Blog offering quite a collection of blogs and discussions on key issues affecting U.S. manufacturers.
- CMTC Manufacturing Blog is a CA blog on high standards, performance outcomes, and innovation.
- Terry Wireman Blog is an internationally recognized expert in maintenance management and asset management best practices.
- The ThomasNet Blog this blog offers industrial marketing and manufacturing sales tips to grow your business.
- Research Analyst Blogs IMS Research provides blogs on hot topics in multiple manufacturing industries.
- All About Lean is a blog about different aspects of lean manufacturing and administration.
- Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium of Canada the newsroom and blog is dedicated to helping manufacturers grow and become competitive around the world.
- Maintenance Bits Blog it’s not an active blog, but it was written by a sharp man and the wealth of specific categories to choose from is astounding.
- 20 Manufacturing Blogs Every Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Distribution, and Logistics Professional Should Read the title speaks for itself.
- The Top 10 Manufacturing Blogs on the Web an interesting summation based on shares, ratio, followers, and rank.
Workforce Challenges & Education:
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Ben Franklin (Ah, Ben – you the man!)
- Beyond a powerful job search engine from hundreds of sites.
- LinkedIn Small Business uses search filters to find the exact skills you’re looking to hire. Also, LinkedIn will search for you, engage in groups, and get in touch with potential candidates.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook finds descriptions, duties, education, training, pay, and outlook information for hundreds of occupations.
- The Manufacturing Game allows personnel to take things for a test drive in a simulated environment to test reliability initiatives.
- Talent Economy provides business leaders with insights, research, and analysis to help build workable talent strategies that will keep you ahead of the competition and push organizations into the future. People are, after all, your most valuable asset.
- Human Capital Media leverages actionable business knowledge, the latest data science, and executive experiences to empower the decision-makers and hiring.
- American Management Association offers online training courses for your location, online training, books, podcasts, and articles in a variety of subject areas.
- American Staffing Association many workforce solutions to find and interview the best candidates and publications, news, research, education, certification, and legal help.
- Industrial Skills Training resources for Manufacturing, Maintenance Electricians, Mechanics, and Engineers. They also offer links to training, publications, and downloads.
- Business Industrial Network PLC training and industrial courses, products, downloads, and videos.
- New Standard Institute offers several training tracks, consulting, e-learning, seminars, workshops, books, and free training tools for mechanical, engineering, managerial, electrical, and safety fields.
- SME industry experts collaborate on technical information and they also showcase career opportunities, training, and certifications.
- Contruct-ed – an amazing little gem without much manufacturing information, however, for folks dabbling in construction and DIY projects, they have free and paid courses to learn how to build just about anything and some good leadership, management, and marketing classes.
- PLC Training.org – a free resource for maintenance managers to organize and keep their staff up-to-date on technology and instruction for those involved with PLC and industrial automation.
- IDCON – is your source for knowledge building and skill in work management processes. They focus on improving the overall reliability through core elements of reliability and maintenance management from identifying potential equipment failures, maintenance planning to equipment criticality.
Forms, Tips, Calculators, and Tools
“It is necessary to find ways of solving problems at the expense of available resources.” – Sunday Adelaja (what can you do? figure it out!)
- Lean Tools download free OEE, Manufacturing, and Leadership Packs. Click this link for 25 essential lean tools goals and objectives.
- Lean Manufacturing Tools offers education on lean manufacturing tools, techniques, and more. Download a presentation, get coaching and training, and use their tools.
- Smart Sheet free employee performance review templates without purchasing the product.
- CustomPart.Net is a resource for engineers, inventors, and manufacturers to encourage informed decisions. They have interactive tools for design, materials, production time, labor cost, financing, and a manufacturing quick-tool, estimator, and production